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The Portland Trail Blazers outscored the Denver Nuggets by 16 points in the second half to claw from behind and win 118-110. Portland snapped an 18-game regular season losing streak against the Nuggets in Denver.
"I think we just caught a rhythm," Jrue Holiday told Blazers courtside reporter Brooke Olzendam postgame. "It's no excuse but the altitude here is real, so I think coming out we just didn't really have legs. Came out a little slow, but got back to form."
Deni Avdija led Portland with 28 points, three rebounds and five assists, shooting 10-for-22 from the field and 6-for-9 from the free throw line. Damian Lillard struggled from 3-point range, but went 5-for-11 from the field and made 9 of his 10 free throws to finish with 20 points, adding six rebounds and six assists.
Jrue Holiday produced a massive performance off the bench, flirting with triple-double, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists, going 7-for-11 overall and 3-for-4 from the arc. Donovan Clingan recorded his first double-double of the season, posting 17 points and 18 rebounds.
Jamal Murray led Denver with a game-high 35 points, shooting 10-for-19 and 4-for-9 from three, sinking all 11 of his free throws. Nikola Jokic added 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, finishing 10-for-22 from the field.
The Blazers trailed most of the night. Avdija knocked down a 3-pointer in the third quarter to tie the game for the first since the opening tip. Portland took its first lead less than a minute later via a Holiday score in the paint with around three and a half minutes remaining in the period.
Shooting 34.8 percent from the field and 2-for-10 from 3-point range in the first quarter, Portland recovered nicely in the second quarter. The Blazers nailed 12 of their 23 total shots (52.2 percent), 6 of 13 shots (46.2 percent) from beyond the arc and went 9-for-10 at the free throw line in the second period.
The Nuggets free throw advantage dwindled in the second half. After shooting 21-for-26 at the charity stripe through two quarters, Denver only shot (and made) eight free throws in the second half.
Portland moves to 5-1 on the season. The Nuggets fall to 3-3.
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